It is both important and
instructive to observe the connection between John 5 and John 6: the latter is,
doctrinally, the sequel to the former. There is both a comparison and a contrast
in the way Christ is presented to us in these two chapters. In both we see Him
as the Source of life, Divine life, spiritual life, eternal life. But, speaking
of what is characteristic in John 5, we have life communicated by Christ,
whereas in John 6 we have salvation received by us. Let us amplify this a
little.

John 5 opens with a typical
illustration of Christ imparting life to an impotent soul: a man, helpless
through an infirmity which he had had for thirty-eight years, is made whole.
This miracle Christ makes the basis of a discourse in which He presented His
Divine glories. In verse 21 we read, "As the Father raiseth up the dead,
and quickeneth them: even so the Son quickeneth whom he will." The
same line of thought continues through to the end of verse 26. Thus, Christ
there presents Himself in full Godhead title, as the Source and Dispenser of
life, sovereignly imparted to whom He pleases. The one upon whom this Divine
life is bestowed, as illustrated by the case of the impotent man, is regarded as
entirely passive; he is called into life by the all-mighty, creating
voice of the Son of God (verse 25). There is nothing in the sinner’s case but
the powerlessness of death until the deep silence is broken by the word of the
Divine Quickener. His voice makes itself heard in the soul, hitherto dead, but
no longer dead as it hears His voice. But nothing is said of any searchings of
heart, any exercises of conscience, any sense of need, any felt desire after
Christ. It is simply Christ, in Divine sufficiency, speaking to spiritually dead
souls, empowering them (by sovereign "quickening") to hear.

In John 6 Christ is
presented in quite another character, and in keeping with this, so is the sinner
too. Here our Lord is viewed not in His essential glories, but as the Son
incarnate. Here He is contemplated as "the Son of man" (verses 27,
53), and therefore, as in the place of humiliation, "come down from
heaven" (verses 33, 38, 51, etc.). As such, Christ is made known as the
Object of desire, and as the One who can meet the sinner’s need. In John 5 it
was Christ who sought out the "great multitude" of impotent
folk (verses 3, 6), and when Christ presented Himself to the man who had an
infirmity thirty and eight years, he evidenced no desire for the Savior. He
acted as one who had no heart whatever for the Son of God. As such he accurately
portrayed the dead soul when it is first quickened by Christ. But in John 6 the
contrast is very noticeable. Here the "great multitude" followed
him (verses 2, 24, 25), with an evident desire for Him—we speak not now of
the unworthy motive that prompted that desire, but the desire itself as
illustrative of a truth. It is this contrast which indicates the importance of
noting the relation of John 5 and 6. As said in our opening sentences, the
latter is the sequel to the former. We mean that the order in the contents of
the two chapters, so far as their contents are typical and illustrative, set
forth the doctrinal order of truth. They give us the two sides: the Divine and
the human; and here, as ever, the Divine comes first. In ,John 5 we have the
quickening power of Christ, as exercised according to His sovereign prerogative;
in John 6 we have illustrated the effects of this in a soul already
quickened. In the one, Christ approaches the dead soul; in the other, the dead
soul, now quickened, seeks Christ!

In developing this
illustration of the truth in John 6, the Holy Spirit has followed the same order
as in John 5. Here, too, Christ works a miracle, on those who typically portray
the doctrinal characters which are in view. These are sinners already
"quickened," but not yet saved; for, unlike quickening, there is a
human side to salvation, as well as a Divine. The prominent thing brought before
us in the first section of John 6 is a hungry multitude. And how forcibly and
how accurately they illustrate the condition of a soul just quickened, is
obvious. As soon as the Divine life has been imparted, there is a stirring
within; there is a sense of need awakened. It is the life turning toward its
Source, just as water ever seeks its own level. The illustration is Divinely
apt, for there are few things of which we are more conscious than when we are
assailed by the pangs of hunger. But not so with a dead man, for he is
unconscious; or with a paralyzed man, for he is incapable of feeling. So it is
spiritually. The one who is dead in trespasses and sins, and paralyzed by
depravity, has no hunger for God. But how different with one who has been
Divinely "quickened"! The first effect of quickening is that the one
quickened awakes to consciousness: the Divine life within gives capacity to
discern his sinfulness and his need of Christ.

Mark, too, what follows in
the second section of John 6. The same line of truth is pursued further. Here we
see the disciples in darkness, in the midst of a storm, rowing towards the Place
of Consolation. What a vivid illustration does this supply of the experiences of
the newly quickened and so awakened soul! It tells of the painful experiences
through which he passes ere the Haven of Rest is reached. Not yet is he really
saved; not yet does he understand the workings of Divine grace within him. All
he is conscious of is his sense of deep need. And it is then that Satan’s
fiendish onslaughts are usually the fiercest. Into what a storm is he now
plunged! But the Devil is not permitted to completely overwhelm the soul, any
more than he was the disciples in the illustration. When God’s appointed time
arrives, Christ draws nigh and says, "I am: be not afraid." He stands
revealed before the one who was seeking Him, and then is He "willingly
received into the ship"—He is gladly embraced by faith, and received into
the heart! Then the storm is over, the desired haven is reached, for the next
thing we see is Christ and the disciples at "Capernaum" (place of
consolation). Thus, in the feeding of the hungry multitude, and in the
delivering of the disciples from the storm-tossed sea, we have a most
blessed and wonderful illustration of Christ meeting and satisfying the
conscious need of the soul previously quickened.

It will thus be seen that
all of this is but introductory to the great theme unfolded in the middle
section of John 6. Just as the healing of the impotent man at the beginning of
John 5 introduced and prepared the way for the discourse that followed, so it is
in John 6. Here the prominent truth is Christ in the place of humiliation, which
He had voluntarily entered as man, "come down from heaven"; and thus
as "the bread of life" presenting Himself as the Object who alone can
supply the need of which the quickened and awakened soul is so conscious.[1]

"Then said they unto
him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?" (John 6:28). This question appears to be
the language of men temporarily impressed and aroused, but still in the dark
concerning the way to Heaven. They felt, perhaps, that they were on the wrong
road, that something was required of them, but what that something was they knew
not. They supposed they had to do some work; but what works they were ignorant.
It was the old self-righteousness of the natural man, who is ever occupied with
his own doings. The carnal mind is flattered when it is consciously doing
something for God. For his doings man deems himself entitled to reward. He
imagines that salvation is due him, because he has earned it. Thus does he
reckon the reward "not of grace, but of debt." Man seeks to bring God
into the humbling position of debtor to him. How unbelief and pride degrade the
Almighty! How they rob Him of His glory!

"What shall we do that
we might work the works of God?" It seems almost incredible that these men
should have asked such a question. Only a moment before, Christ had said to them
"Labor not for the
meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life,
which the Son of man shall give unto you" (verse 27). But the carnal mind, which
is enmity against God, is unable to rise to the thought of a gift. Or, rather,
the carnal heart is unwilling to come down to the place of a beggar and a
pauper, and receive everything for nothing. The sinner wants to do something to
earn it. It was thus with the woman at the well: until Divine grace completed
its work within her, she knew not the "gift of God" (John 4:10). It
was the same with the rich young ruler: "Good Master, what shall I do to
inherit eternal life?" (Luke 18:18). It was the same with the stricken Jews
on the day of Pentecost: "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" (Acts
2:37). It was the same with the Philippian jailer: "Sirs, what must I do to
be " saved? (Acts 16:30). So it was with the prodigal son—"Make me
as one of thy hired servants" (one who works for what he receives)
was his thought (Luke 15:19). Ah! dear friends, God and man are ever the same
wherever you find them!

"Jesus answered and
said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath
sent" (John 6:29). In what lovely patient
grace did the Lord make reply! In blessed simplicity of language, He stated that
the one thing that God requires of sinners is that they believe on the One whom
He has sent into the world to meet their deepest need. "This is the work of
God" means, this is what God requires. It is not the works of the law, nor
the bringing of an offering to His temple altar; but faith in Christ. Christ is
the Savior appointed by God, and faith in Him is that which God approves,
and without which nothing else can be acceptable in His sight. Paul answered the
question of the Philippian jailer as the Lord before him had done—"What
must I do to be saved?": "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and
thou shalt be saved" was the reply (Acts 16:31). But again we say, Man had
rather do than "believe." And why is this? Because it panders to his
pride: because it repudiates his utter ruin, inasmuch as it is a denial that he
is "without strength" (Rom. 5:6): because it provides for him a
platform on which he can boast and glory. Nevertheless, the one and only
"work" which God will accept is faith in His Son.

But, perhaps some one will
raise the question, Is it possible that I can ever enter heaven without good
works? Answer: No; you cannot enter heaven without a good character. But those
good works and that character of yours must be without a flaw. They must be as
holy as God, or you can never enter His presence. But how may I secure such a
character as that? Surely that is utterly impossible! No, it is not. But how
then? By a series of strivings after holiness? No; that is doing again.
Do nothing. Only believe. Accept the Work already done—the finished work of
the Lord Jesus on our behalf. This is what God asks of you—give up your own
doings and receive that of My beloved Son. But are you ready to do this? Are you
willing to abandon your own doings, your own righteousness, and to accept His?
You will not till you are thoroughly convinced that all your doings are faulty,
that all your efforts fall far short of God’s demands, that all your own
righteousness is tarnished with sin, yea, is as "filthy rags." What
man will renounce his own work in order to trust to that of another, unless he
be first convinced that his own is worthless? What man will repose for safety in
another till he be convinced that there is no safety in trusting to himself? It
is impossible. Man cannot do this of himself: it takes the work of God." It
is the convicting power of the Holy Spirit, and that alone, which brings the
sinner to renounce his own works and lay hold on the Lord Jesus for
salvation.

O dear reader, we would
solemnly press this upon you. Is the finished work of Christ the only
rock on which your soul is resting for eternal life, or are you still secretly
trusting to your own doings for salvation? If so, you will be eternally lost,
for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it—"He that believeth not shall be
damned." Your own doings, even if they were such as you wish them to be,
could never save you. Your prayers, your tears, your sorrowings for sin, your
alms-givings, your church-goings, your efforts at holiness of life—what are
they all but doings of your own, and if they were all perfect they could not
save you. Why? Because it is written, "By the deeds of the law there shall
no flesh be justified in his sight." Salvation is not a thing to be earned
by a religious life, but is a free gift received by faith—Romans 6:23.

"They said therefore
unto him, What sign showest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? What
dost thou work?"
(John 6:30). How this exhibits the works
of unbelief! How difficult it is, yea impossible, for the natural man, of
himself, to accept Christ and His finished work by "simple" faith!
Truly, nothing but the Spirit of God can enable a man to do it. The Lord had
said, "Believe." They replied, "Show us a sign." Give us
something we can see along with it. Man must either see or feel before he will
believe. "We do not mean to say
that salvation is not by believing on Christ, but we want some evidence first.
We will believe if we can have some evidence on which to believe. Oh, perfect
picture of the natural heart! I come to a man—one who has probably for years
been making a profession of religion—and I say to him, ‘Have you got eternal
life dwelling in you? Do you know that you are a saved man, that you have passed
from death unto life?’ The reply is, ‘No, I am not sure of it.’ Then you
do not believe on the Lord Jesus. You have not accepted the finished work of
Christ as yours. He replies, ‘Yes, I do believe on Christ.’ Then remember
what He has said, ‘He that believeth hath everlasting life.’ He does not
hope to have it. He is not uncertain about it. ‘He hath it,’ says the Son of
God. The man answers, ‘Well, I would believe this if I could only feel better.
If I could only see in myself some evidences of a change, then I could believe
it, and be as certain of it as you are.’ So said these people to the Lord—give
us some evidence that we may see and believe. Do you not see that you are thus
making salvation depend on the evidences of the Spirit’s work within you,
instead of the finished work of the Lord Jesus for you? You say, I would believe
if I could only feel better—if I could only see a change. God says, Believe
first, then you shall feel—then you shall see. God reverses your order, and
you must reverse it too, if you would ever have peace with God. Believe, and you
will then have in your heart a motive for a holy life, and not only so,
you will walk in liberty, and peace, and joy" (Dr. F. Whitfield).

"They said therefore
unto him, What sign showest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? What
dost thou work?" The force of that is this: You have asked us to receive
you as the One sent of God. What sign, then do you show; where are your
credentials to authorize your mission? And this was asked, be it remembered, on
the morning following the feeding of the five thousand! It seems unthinkable.
Only a few hours before they had witnessed a miracle, which in some respects,
was the most remarkable our Lord had performed, and from which they had
themselves benefitted. And yet, does not our own sad history testify that this
is true to life? Men are surrounded by innumerable evidences for the existence
of God: they carry a hundred demonstrations of it in their own persons, and yet
how often do they ask, What proof have we that there is a God? So, too,
with believers. We enjoy countless tokens of His love and faithfulness; we have
witnessed His delivering hand again and again, and yet when some fresh trial
comes upon us—something which completely upsets our plans, the removal,
perchance, of some earthly object around which we had entwined our heart’s
affections—we ask, Does God really care? And, maybe, we are sufficiently
callous to ask for another "sign" in proof that He does!

"Our fathers did eat
manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to
eat" (John 6:31). Here they drew a
disparaging contrast between Christ and Moses. It was the further workings of
their unbelief. The force of their objection was this: What proof have we that
Thou art greater than Moses? They sought to deprecate the miracle they had
witnessed on the previous day by comparing Moses and the manna. It was as though
they had said, ‘If you would have us believe on you as the Sent One of God,
you must show us greater works. You have fed five thousand but once, whereas in
Moses’ day, our fathers ate bread for forty years!’ It is striking to note
how they harped back to their "fathers." The woman at the well did the
same thing (see John 4:12). And is it not so now? The experiences of "the
fathers", what they believed and taught, is still with many the final court
of appeal.

"Our fathers did eat
manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to
eat." Their speech betrayed them, as is evident from their use of the word
"manna." The late Malachi Taylor pointed out how this was "a name
always used by their father, of wilfulness, persistently ignoring Jehovah’s
word ‘bread’, and now uttered by them, because it was so written. It is
notable that they of old never called it anything at all but ‘manna’
(meaning ‘What is this?’), except when they despised it (Num. 21:5); and
then they called it ‘light bread.’ And Jehovah named it ‘manna’ in
Numbers 11:7 when the mixed multitude fell a lusting for the flesh-pots of
Egypt. What lessons for us as to our thoughts of Christ, the Bread of God! In
Psalm 78:24, where God is recounting the evil ways of Israel through the
wilderness, He calls it ‘manna’; but in Psalm 105:40, where all His mercies
pass in review, calling for praise, it is called ‘bread’. Again we say, What
lessons for us!"

"Then Jesus said unto
them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not the bread from heaven;
but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven" (John 6:32). With good reason might our
blessed Lord have turned away from His insulting challengers. Well might He have
left them to themselves. But as another has said, "Grace in Him was active.
Their souls’ interests He had at heart" (C.E.S.). And so, in wondrous
condescension, He speaks to them of the Father’s "Gift", who alone
could meet their deep need, and satisfy their souls. And has He not often dealt
thus with thee, dear reader? Cannot you say with the Psalmist, "He hath not dealt
with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities" (Ps.
103:10)? Instead of turning away in
disgust at our ingratitude and unbelief, He has continued to care for us and
minister to us. O how thankful ought we to be for that precious promise, and the
daily fulfillment of it in our lives, "I will never leave thee, nor forsake
thee."

"Then Jesus said unto
them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven;
but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven." The error of the Jews
here should be a warning to us. They thought Moses gave them the manna. But it
was God and not Moses. He was only the humble instrument. They ought to have
looked through the instrument to God. But the eye rested, where it is ever so
prone to rest—on the human medium. The Lord here leads them to look beyond the
human instrument to God—"Moses gave you not that bread... but my
Father," etc. O what creatures of sense we are. We live so much in the
outward and visible, as almost to forget there is anything beyond. All that we
gaze upon here is but the avenue to what eye hath not seen, nor ear heard. All
the temporal gifts and blessings we receive are but the finger of the Father
beckoning us within the inner shrine. He is saying to us, ‘If My works be so
beautiful, if My gifts be so precious, if My footprints be so glorious, what
must I be?’ Thus should we ever look through nature, to nature’s God. Thus
shall we enjoy God’s gifts, when they lead us up to Him; and then shall we not
make idols of them, and so run the risk of their removal. Everything in nature
and in providence is but the "Moses" between us and God. Let us not be
like the Jews of old, so taken up with Moses as to forget the "greater than
Moses," whence they all proceed.

"For the bread of God
is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world" (John
6:33). The Father’s provision
for a dying world was to send from heaven His only begotten Son. There is
another suggestive contrast here, yea, a double one. The manna had no power to
ward off death—the generation of Israel that ate it in the wilderness died!
How, then, could it be the "true bread"? No; Christ is the "true
bread," for He bestows "life." But again: the manna was only for
Israel. No other people in the desert (the Amorites, for instance) partook of
the manna; for it fell only in Israel’s camp. But the true Bread "giveth
life unto the world." The "world" here does not include the whole
human race, for Christ does not bestow "life" on every
descendant of Adam. It is not here said that the true Bread offereth
"life unto the world," but He "giveth life." It is the
"world" of believers who are here in view. The Lord, then, designedly
employs a word that reached beyond the limits of Israel, and took in elect
Gentiles too!

"For the bread of God
is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world." Three
different expressions are used by our Lord in this passage, each having a
slightly varied meaning; the three together, serving to bring out the fulness
and blessedness of this title. In verse 32 He speaks of Himself as the
"true bread from heaven": "true" speaks of that which is
real, genuine, satisfying; "from heaven" tells of its celestial and
spiritual character. In verse 33 He speaks of Himself as "the bread of
God," which denotes that He is Divine, eternal. Then, in verse 35 He says,
"I am the bread of life": the One who imparts, nourishes and sustains
life.

"Then said they unto
him, Lord, evermore give us this bread" (John 6:34). This was but the outcome of
a fleeting impression which had been made by His words. It reminds us very much
of the language of the woman at the well, "Sir, give me this
water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw" (John 4:15), and those who recall our
comments on that verse will remember the motive that prompted her. The words of
these men but served to make their rejection of Him more manifest and decisive
when they fully grasped His meaning: verse 36 proves this conclusively"But
I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not."

"And Jesus said unto
them, I am the bread of life" (John 6:35). The Lord places Himself
before us under the figure of bread. The emblem is beautifully significant, and
like all others used in Scripture calls for prolonged and careful meditation. First, bread is a necessary
food. Unlike many other articles of diet which are more or less luxuries, this
is essential to our very existence. Bread is the food we cannot dispense with.
There are other things placed upon our tables that we can do without, but not so
with bread. Let us learn the lesson well. Without Christ we shall perish. There
is no spiritual life or health apart from the Bread of God.

Second, bread is a Food
that is suited to all. There are some people who cannot eat sweets;
others are unable to digest meats. But all eat bread. The physical body may
retain its life for a time without bread, but it will be sickly, and soon sink
into the grave. Bread, then is adapted to all. It is the food of both king and
artisan. So it is with Christ. It meets the need of all alike; He is able to
satisfy every class of sinners—rich or poor, cultured or illiterate.

Third, bread is a daily
food. There are some articles of food which we eat but occasionally; others only
when they are in season. But bread is something we need every day of our lives.
It is so spiritually. If the Christian fails to feed on Christ daily, if he
substitutes the husks of religious forms and ceremonies, religious books,
religious excitement, the glare and glitter of modem Christianity, he will be
weak and sickly. It is failure at this very point which is mainly responsible
for the feebleness of so many of the Lord’s people.

Fourth, bread is a satisfying
food. We quickly fire of other articles of diet, but not so with this. Bread is
a staple and standard article, which we must use all our lives. And does not the
analogy hold good again spiritually? How often have we turned aside to other
things, only to find them but husks! None but the Bread of life can satisfy.

Fifth, let us note the process
through which bread passes before it becomes food. It springs up—the blade,
the ear, the full corn in the ear. Then it is cut down, winnowed, and
ground into flour, and finally subjected to the fiery process of the
oven. Thus, and only thus, did it become fit to sustain life. Believer in
Christ, such was the experiences of the Bread of God. He was "bruised
for our iniquities." He was subjected to the fierce fires of God’s holy
wrath, as He took our place in judgment. O how wonderful—God forbid that we
should ever lose our sense of wonderment over it. The Holy One of God, was
"made a curse for us." "It pleased the Lord to bruise him."
And this in order that He might be the Bread of life to us! Let us then
feed upon Him. Let us draw from His infinite fulness. Let us ever press forward
unto a more intimate fellowship with Him.

"And Jesus said unto
them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he
that believeth on me shall never thirst" (John 6:35). In verse 33 Christ had
spoken of giving life to "the world"—the world of believers, the sum
total of the saved. Now He speaks of, the individual—"he that cometh to
me... he that believeth. A similar order is to be observed in verse 37—note
the "all" is followed by "him." There is, no doubt, a shade
of difference between "believing on" Christ, and "coming to"
Him. To "believe on" Christ is to receive God’s testimony concerning
His Son, and to rest on Him alone for salvation. To "come to" Him—which
is really the effect of the former—is for the heart to go out to Him in loving
confidence. The two acts are carefully distinguished in Hebrews 11:6: "without faith it is
impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is: and
that he is the rewarder of them that diligently seek him." I must know who the
physician is, and believe in his ability, before I shall go to him to be cured.

But what are we to
understand by "shall never hunger" and "shall never thirst"?
Does the Christian never "hunger" or "thirst"? Surely; then,
how are we to harmonize his experience with this positive declaration of the
Savior? Ah! He speaks here according to the fulness and satisfaction there is in
Himself, and not according to our imperfect apprehension and appreciation of
Him. If we are straitened it is in ourselves, not in Him. If we do
"hunger" and "thirst," it is not because He is unable, and
not because He is unwilling, to satisfy our hunger and quench our thirst, but
because we are of "little faith" and fail to draw daily from His
fulness.

"But I said unto you,
That ye also have seen me, and believe not" (John 6:36). Even the sight of Christ in
the flesh, and the beholding of His wondrous miracles, did not bring men to
believe on Him. O the depravity of the human heart! "Ye also have seen me,
and believe not." This shows how valueless was their request: "Lord,
evermore give us this bread" (verse 34). It is unspeakably solemn. They
trusted in Moses (John 9:28), they had rejoiced for a season in John the Baptist’s
light (John 5:35); they could quote the Scriptures (John 6:31), and yet they
believed not on Christ! It is difficult to say how far a man may go, and yet
come short of the one thing needful. These men were not worse than many others,
but their unbelief was manifested and declared; consequently, Christ addresses
them accordingly. This, indeed, would be the result in every case, were we left
to our own thoughts of Christ. Be warned then, dear reader, and make sure that yours
is a saving faith.

"But I said unto you,
that ye also have seen me, and believe not." Was, then, the incarnation a
failure? Was His mission fruitless? That could not be. There can be no failure
with God, though there is much failure in all of us to understand His purpose.
Christ was not in anywise discouraged or disheartened at the apparent failure of
His mission. His next word shows that very conclusively, and to it we turn.

"All that the Father
giveth me shall come to me" (John 6:37). Here the Lord speaks of a
definite company which have been given to Him by the Father. Nor is this the
only place where He makes mention of this people. In John 17 He refers to their
seven times over. In verse 2 He says, "As thou hast given him power over
all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him."
So again in verse 6 He says, "I have manifested thy name unto the men which
thou gavest me out of the world: Thine they were, and thou gavest them
me." And again in verse 9 He declares, "I pray not for the world, but
for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine." See also verses 11,
12, 24. Whom those are that the Father gave to Christ we are told in Ephesians
1:4—"According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the
world." Those given to Christ were God’s elect, singled out for this
marvellous honor before the foundation of the world: "God hath from the
beginning chosen you to salvation"
(2 Thess. 2:13). But let us notice the exact
connection in our passage wherein Christ refers to the elect.

In verse 36 we find our
Lord saying to those who had no heart for Him, "ye also have seen me, and
believe not." Was He, then, disheartened? Far from it. And why not? Ah!
mark how the Son of God, here the lowly Servant of Jehovah, encourages Himself.
He immediately adds, "All that the Father giveth me shall come to me."
What a lesson is this for every under shepherd. Here is the true haven of rest
for the heart of every Christ worker. Your message may be slighted by the crowd,
and as you see how many there are who "believe not" it may appear that
your labor is in vain. Nevertheless "the foundation of God
standeth sure, having this seal, the Lord knoweth them that are his" (2
Tim. 2:19). The eternal purpose of the
Almighty cannot fail; the sovereign will of the Lord Most High cannot be
frustrated. All, every one, that the Father gave to the Son before the
foundation of the world "shall come to him." The Devil himself cannot
keep one of them away. So take heart fellow-worker. You may seem to be sowing
the Seed at random, but God will see to it that part of it falls onto ground
which He has prepared. The realization of the invincibility of the eternal
counsels of God will give you a calmness, a poise, a courage, a perseverance
which nothing else can. "Therefore, my beloved
brethren, be ye steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord,
forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord" (1 Cor.
15:58).

"All that the Father
giveth me shall come to me." But while this is very blessed, it is solemnly
tragic and deeply humbling. How humiliating for us, that in the presence of
incarnate life and love in the person of the Lord of glory, no one would have
come to Him, none would have benefitted by His mission, had there not been those
who were given to Him by the Father, and on whose coming He could, therefore,
reckon. Man’s depravity is so entire, his enmity so great, that in every
instance, his will would have resisted and rejected Christ, had not the Father
determined that His Son should have some as the trophies of His victory and the
reward of His coming down from heaven. Alas that our deadness to such love
should have called forth such sighs as seem to breathe in these very words of
Christ!

"And him that cometh
to me I will in no wise cast out"
(John 6:37). Let us not miss (as is so
commonly done) the connection between this clause and the one which precedes it.
"Him that cometh to me" is explained by "all that the Father
giveth me." None would come to Him unless the Father had first
predestinated that they should, for it is only "as many as were ordained to
eternal life" that believe (Acts 13:48). Each one that the Father had given
to Christ in eternity past, "cometh" to Him in time—comes as a lost
sinner to be saved; comes having nothing, that he may receive everything.

The last clause "I
will in no wise cast out" assures the eternal preservation of everyone that
truly cometh to Christ. These words of the Savior do not signify (as generally
supposed) that He promises to reject none who really come to Him, though that is
true; but they declare that under no imaginable circumstances will He ever expel
any one that has come. Peter came to Him and was saved. Later, he denied his
Master with an oath. But did Christ "cast him out"? Nay, verily. And
can we find a more extreme case? If Peter was not "cast out," no
Christian ever was, or ever will be. Praise the Lord!

"For I came down from
heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me" (John
6:38). This is most instructive.
The force of it is this: Those whom the Father had given the Son—all of them—would
come to Him. It was no longer the Son in His essential glory, quickening whom He
would, as in verse 21, but the Son incarnate, the "Son of man" (John
6:27), receiving those the Father "drew" to Him (John 6:44)!
"Therefore be it who it might, He would in no wise cast him out: enemy,
scoffer, Jew or Gentile, they would not come if the Father had not sent
them" (J.N.D.). Christ was here to do the Father’s will. Thus does Christ
assure His own that He will save to the end all whom the Father had given Him.

"For I came down from
heaven not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me." How
greatly does this enhance the value of the precious words at the close of the
preceding verse, when we see that our coming to Christ is not attributed to man’s
fickle will, but as the effect of the Father’s drawing to the Savior each one
given to Him in the counsels of that Father’s love before the foundation of
the world! So, too, the reception of them is not merely because of Christ’s
compassion for the lost, but as the obedient Servant of the Father’s will, He
welcomes each one brought to Him—brought by the unseen drawings of the Father’s
love. Thus our security rests not upon anything in us or from us, but upon the
Father’s choice and the Son’s obedient love!

"And this is the
Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should
lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day" (John 6:39). How blessedly this, too,
explains the closing words of verse 37! Eternal predestination guarantees
eternal preservation. The "last day" is, of course, the last day
of the Christian dispensation. Then it shall appear that He hath not lost
a single one whom the Father gave to Him. Then shall He say, "Behold I and the
children which God hath given me"
(Heb. 2:13).

"And this is the will
of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him,
may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day" (John
6:40). Christ had just spoken of
the Father’s counsels. He had disclosed the fact that the success of His
ministry depended not on man’s will—for that was known to be, in every case,
so perverse as to reject the Savior—but on the drawing power of the Father.
But here He leaves, as it were, the door wide open to any one any where who is
disposed to enter: "that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on
him, may have everlasting life." Yet it is instructive to note the order of
the two verbs here: "believing" on Christ is the result of
"seeing" Him. He must first be revealed by the Spirit before He will
be received by the sinner. Thus did our Lord disclose to these men that a far
deeper and infinitely more important work had been entrusted to Him than that of
satisfying Israel’s poor with material bread—not less a change than that of
raising up at the last day all that had been given to Him by the Father, without
losing so much as one.

The following questions are
submitted to help the student for the next chapter on John 6:41-59:—

1. Wherein does verse 44
rebuke their "murmuring"?

2. What ought to have been
their response to verse 44?

3. Who are the
"all" that are "taught of God"? verse 45.

4. What is meant by
"not die"? verse 50.

5. What are the various
thoughts suggested by "eat"? verse 51.

6. What is the difference
in thought between verses 53 and 56?

7. What is meant by "I
live by the Father"? verse 57.

ENDNOTES:

[1]
We do not think the time would be wasted if the above paragraphs were re-read
before proceeding farther.